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Sri Lanka, Oct. 23 — Over 12,000 students from 620 teams across the country will compete for honor in the CBL Samaposha Under-14 Inter-School National Football Championship 2024, one of the nation’s largest grassroots sports competitions, hosted by the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association (SSFA) with support from the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL).

The 14th consecutive year of the youth tournament backed by CBL Samaposha was formally announced at an energetic press event hosted at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on Tuesday.

The tournament, which began on October 21, will run until November 10, with the initial matches held at 32 venues spread throughout the 25 districts. The second stage is set to occur between December 5 and 7 at Dadalla Sports Complex, BTS Ground, and FFSL Ground in Galle, while the final matches are planned for December 13 at the Racecourse Grounds in Colombo.

A total of 33 boys’ teams and 25 girls’ teams will qualify for the next stage. Prizes will be given to the top players, goalkeepers, winning and runner-up teams in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions from each district, ensuring that every part of the island is included in this national event celebrating school football. Speaking at the launch, Manjula Dahanayake, Director and CEO of the CBL Food Cluster, reiterated the company’s long-term dedication to youth sports:

“CBL Samaposha continues its long-term support for the Under-14 National Football Championship with pride, promoting youth football, cooperation, and discipline throughout Sri Lanka. As a local brand, we are dedicated to investing in young talent and achieving excellence in national sports.” SSFA President Bandara Leelarathne referred to the event as a key part of the country’s school football schedule.

“This marks the inaugural significant football competition in Sri Lankan schools, and it is proudly known as the ‘Samaposha Tournament,’” he stated.

Samaposha, the leading product of CBL Plenty Foods (Pvt) Ltd, continues to be the nation’s top nutritional breakfast cereal, promoting the health of children and the income of local agricultural communities.

The championship event from last year featured exciting final matches, with Kalutara Muslim Maha Vidyalaya winning the boys’ title by beating Stafford International School, Colombo, and Jaffna Mahajana College, Tellippalai securing victory in the girls’ section after defeating Maliyadeva Girls’ College, Kurunegala.